themurf Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 (photo by Brian Murphy) The first full week of training camp has come and gone for the Washington Redskins, which means it’s once again time to rush to judgment on all things burgundy and gold related. As has become customary around this time each year, I once again present to you my take at the top 10 Redskins players through the first seven days of camp. For those who aren’t familiar, these are the players who have risen to the challenge and made a strong impression through the first seven days of camp. A quick reminder before we get started: these rankings are completely subjective, biased and, ultimately, meaningless. They simply represent one person’s take on the first week of training camp. If you see things differently and/or feel like I’m forgetting someone, that’s okay. Feel free to leave a comment and share your thoughts on the subject. 1. Pierre Garcon, receiver – Look, if Larry Johnson taught us anything, it’s to temper expectations when a new guy shows up and immediately stands out. Johnson looked great in shorts and no pads because he was giving 100 percent while everyone else was slowly working their way into playing shape. Once everyone else got going, Johnson was unable to take his game to another level. All that being said, Garcon looks great so far. His athleticism is undeniable — so much so that one local media member (who shall remain nameless) admitted to me that he’s developed a bit of a man crush on Garcon. 2. Brian Orakpo, linebacker – You know a player is good when he does something as simple as a swim move during routine 11-on-11’s and Redskins fans get giddy. Of course, if Orakpo is able to expand his pass-rushing abilities this season, there will be plenty of cause for celebration locally. 3. Robert Griffin III, quarterback – I’m not even going to talk about Griffin’s cannon of an arm. No, instead I’m going to focus on what he did without the football that turned heads this week. After one of his teammates fumbled the ball near the goal line, RGIII took it upon himself to race down the sidelines at top speed to track down the defender who thought he was going to score an easy touchdown. Most quarterbacks would have shrugged off the play and moved on to the next one, Griffin isn’t most quarterbacks. So he he took off in an all-out sprint for 60 or so yards — just to let opposing players know he’s not the type of player who gives up on a play. This is why this town has already fallen head over heels for the guy. 4. Leonard Hankerson, receiver – Since camp started, Hankerson has picked up right where last season ended — catching everything thrown to his side of the field and forcing his name into the discussion in a crowded stable of pass catchers. 5. Brandon Banks, return specialist – If Banks is going to stick around, he’s going to have to prove once and for all that he’s more than just a special teams player. Well, so far so good for the youngster who got the crowd of ‘Skins fans fired up Tuesday afternoon by hauling in a one-handed catch on the side of his helmet. 6. Perry Riley, linebacker – The more he plays, the better he gets. Riley has always had a nose for the ball, but know he’s been in the lineup long enough to where he’s no longer relying on instincts and adrenaline. 7. Richard Crawford, cornerback – Aside from Griffin, Crawford has been the team’s best rookie during the first week of training camp. With two interceptions already, he’s making players on both sides of the ball take notice of his strong start. Click here for the full article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roanoker Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 For the first week, no major disagreements here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinsdude Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Great stuff. Certainly can’t argue with your top 10. That Banks catch was unbelievable and the Orakpo/Williams matchup was fun to watch. The pads were getting a workout on that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Califan007 The Constipated Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Seems John Keim was far more impressed with Trent Williams than you were lol...That was a good write-up, though :thumbsup:....although I personally was hoping Alfred Morris would be in the top 10 lol . As for the "bottom 5" (my term lol), I'm not sure the 3rd string rookie QB drafted in the 4th round should be considered someone who needs to step up his game "sooner rather than later"...I thought it was more or less a given that his game was expected to "step up" later, which was ok because we didn't need it to step up right away. And if Cooley does need to step up his game, it shouldn't be because he fumbled two practices in a row....from all reports damn near everyone on offense has had goof-ups in multiple practices: fumbles, INTs, dropped passes, missed blocking assignments, etc, etc. But also from all reports both Davis and Paul are doing just fine, so I would imagine Cooley would need to step up his game to try and stand out with them. For me--and obviously without having witnessed a single practice first-hand lol--I would imagine at least one of the currently playing O-Linemen should be on the list. Since Brown in injured and hasn't practiced at all yet, and may not be able to during the entire preseason for all we know, I'm not sure "stepping up his game" is the right category for him. But how have Gettis, LeRibeus, and the other O-Linemen not named Trent fairing so far? Considering how much we're gonna end up relying on these guys because of injuries to starters, we're gonna need at least one of them to step up their game, imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forehead Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 We need to start warming up the Blue Royster Cult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pick6 Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 It is nice to hear some of the new faces in the secondary look good as some are looking bad. Hopefully once the dust settles the secondary can be solid. I hope Cousins steps it up. It would be nice to have a solid number #2 behind Griffin for a few years. Also, I would say the big difference between Larry Johnson and Pierre Garcon is age. I don't think Garcon will wear himself out in the preseason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjfootballer Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 We need to start warming up the Blue Royster Cult. Needs more Cowbell!! ---------- Post added August-1st-2012 at 11:00 AM ---------- But seriously, I think Merriweather has had some good reports coming out of camp also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
authentic Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Good read... However, i've been reading some glaring reports about Alfred Morris... saying he's making a strong case for the 53.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Califan007 The Constipated Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Good read... However, i've been reading some glaring reports about Alfred Morris... saying he's making a strong case for the 53.. Thank you! lol ...Not saying he deserves to be in the top 10, but an honorable mention would have been nice lol I also might put Aldrick Robinson on the "5 that need to step up their game sooner rather than later" over Cousins or Cooley...at least from the reports I've read, he's been having a few bad practices with multiple mistakes in each one. And with the log jam of talent at the WR position, his spot on the roster is easily in jeopardy right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
authentic Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 I also might put Aldrick Robinson on the "5 that need to step up their game sooner rather than later" over Cousins or Cooley...at least from the reports I've read, he's been having a few bad practices with multiple mistakes in each one. And with the log jam of talent at the WR position, his spot on the roster is easily in jeopardy right now. I've been reading the samethings as well.. sort of disappointing for me since i'm rooting for Robinson. We'll see what he has in the PS.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mahons21 Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Great read as always murph. Can we expect a skins cast in the near future? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themurf Posted August 1, 2012 Author Share Posted August 1, 2012 Seems John Keim was far more impressed with Trent Williams than you were lol...That was a good write-up, though :thumbsup:....although I personally was hoping Alfred Morris would be in the top 10 lol .As for the "bottom 5" (my term lol), I'm not sure the 3rd string rookie QB drafted in the 4th round should be considered someone who needs to step up his game "sooner rather than later"...I thought it was more or less a given that his game was expected to "step up" later, which was ok because we didn't need it to step up right away. And if Cooley does need to step up his game, it shouldn't be because he fumbled two practices in a row....from all reports damn near everyone on offense has had goof-ups in multiple practices: fumbles, INTs, dropped passes, missed blocking assignments, etc, etc. But also from all reports both Davis and Paul are doing just fine, so I would imagine Cooley would need to step up his game to try and stand out with them. For me--and obviously without having witnessed a single practice first-hand lol--I would imagine at least one of the currently playing O-Linemen should be on the list. Since Brown in injured and hasn't practiced at all yet, and may not be able to during the entire preseason for all we know, I'm not sure "stepping up his game" is the right category for him. But how have Gettis, LeRibeus, and the other O-Linemen not named Trent fairing so far? Considering how much we're gonna end up relying on these guys because of injuries to starters, we're gonna need at least one of them to step up their game, imo. I think Trent Williams has fared very well. Especially yesterday, he more than held his own. That being said, there were a few times earlier in camp when Brian Orakpo or someone else got the inside track on him, so that's why he's not in the top five. As far as the rest of the offensive line -- Chris Chester and Will Montgomery have been as solid/unspectacular as we're accustomed to. As far as Hurt and Polumbus (who have been getting reps with the starters while Lichtensteiger and Brown are out of action), they've been less impressive. Polumbus, in particular, got bull rushed by Ryan Kerrigan, and was driven back into the quarterback for what would have been an easy sack. I'm really starting to get nervous about the tackle situation outside of Williams. And let's not compare me to John Keim. He's been the best on the beat since the day I started eight years ago, so no one is as good as him. Good read... However, i've been reading some glaring reports about Alfred Morris... saying he's making a strong case for the 53.. Alfred Morris has definitely looked good at times and deserves some of the praise you've read. That being said, if you saw my photos from yesterday's afternoon session, he was one of the running backs who got pushed around a little bit during one-on-one drills with the linebackers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Always A Commander Never A Captain Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Honorable mention: Madieu Williams, safety – With LaRon Landry and Oshiomogho Atogwe gone, the Redskins must hope that someone — anyone — rises to the challenge and locks down one of the safety jobs. Well, Williams has done as well as anyone in the secondary and seems to have an inside track on a starting role. You really think so? Just from the interviews and twitter posts, it sounds like Meriweather has been having a good camp while people are thinking Madieu is basically just a decent safety. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjfootballer Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 You really think so? Just from the interviews and twitter posts, it sounds like Meriweather has been having a good camp while people are thinking Madieu is basically just a decent safety. Decent is better than sucky. But anyway, sounds like he's taken on a leadership role for the secondary, so when you really think about it, we haven't had that in the secondary since Sean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themurf Posted August 1, 2012 Author Share Posted August 1, 2012 You really think so? Just from the interviews and twitter posts, it sounds like Meriweather has been having a good camp while people are thinking Madieu is basically just a decent safety. Meriweather reminds me of LaRon Landry without the huge upside. He'll make plays from time to time, but he's just as likely to cost you a few plays because of his questionable decision making. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LetThePointsSoar Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Nice write up Murf. So outside of the one handed catch Banks made, has he done much else? I haven't heard much about him & was wondering if he might be on the outside looking in. Also, any thoughts on LeRibs so far? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themurf Posted August 2, 2012 Author Share Posted August 2, 2012 Nice write up Murf. So outside of the one handed catch Banks made, has he done much else? I haven't heard much about him & was wondering if he might be on the outside looking in.Also, any thoughts on LeRibs so far? Banks has been very solid so far. Honestly, I'm a little surprised at how well he's done during the first week. LeRibeus seems to be headed in the right direction -- so much so that he was taking snaps with the starters yesterday afternoon. Anyone else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Califan007 The Constipated Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 Nice write up Murf. So outside of the one handed catch Banks made, has he done much else? I haven't heard much about him & was wondering if he might be on the outside looking in. Really?...You may need to read the tweet threads more thoroughly, amigo lol :thumbsup:... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bird_1972 Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 Murf, given how thin our OL is now, any read on the rookies (outside of LeReibus)? Curious if Gettis or Compton could start paying dividends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
authentic Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 Alfred Morris has definitely looked good at times and deserves some of the praise you've read. That being said, if you saw my photos from yesterday's afternoon session, he was one of the running backs who got pushed around a little bit during one-on-one drills with the linebackers. Point taken, as i think about it, you're right i've read where he's struggled a bit in Pass Pro, along with Helu & Royster.. In any event I can't wait to see how he performs in the PS.. Speaking of Rookies, what do you think about how Keenen Robinson is coming along outside of his highlight INT vs Rex the other day? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LegendaryNumber5 Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 We need to start warming up the Blue Royster Cult. Simply out of curiosity as a newbie... whats up with the signature?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forehead Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 Simply out of curiosity as a newbie... whats up with the signature?? Your join date doesn't appear new? Either way, RoyallyPwned was a Cowboys fan here that we genuinely liked and respected; a good guy. He passed away a little while ago in his sleep; I think he was 28. I few people have this signature up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LegendaryNumber5 Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 Way too young that is terrible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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